Ocean of Secrets

Bridget dropped me off at home after school, and told me to call when I was about to leave. I was more than a little nervous about seeing Malachai later tonight. He would probably think I was even more childish after he saw me, but if he did it would allow me to possibly get over this stupid crush I had. I was practically obsessed over a guy that I knew would never think twice about me.

I didn’t have to deal with my father tonight because he was at work for the moment and was instantly relieved. He didn’t go to work that often since he was a manager but, when he did go, he was gone for hours. I walked down the hallway leading to the bedrooms and passed my parents’ bedroom. My mom was folding clothes on the bed when I passed their door. I continued walking to the last door on the right and peeked in at Belle. She was facing away from the door, but could somehow tell that I was watching her.

“Come play dollies with me.” Her light hair was pulled up into a low ponytail that made me think of cheerleaders. I knew my little sister was going to be gorgeous when she got older. Most of the boys in her grade already had small crushes on her. She always gets the cheesiest Valentine cards.

I was going to tell Belle that I couldn’t play right now, but I had enough time so I walked over and sat next to her on the baby blue carpet. Her room was exactly the same as it was when she had been born, except for the fact that the crib was replaced by a small bed. The walls were still a light tan and covered with pictures and large Disney princess stickers.

“You be Ariel, and I’ll be Prince Eric.” She shoved the doll into my lap with a girlish grin on her face. I couldn’t help but smile back.

I held the red headed mermaid in my hands while Belle told me our game’s plot. The girl wasn’t actually a mermaid, and the boy wasn’t actually a prince. They were normal people, and Ariel was madly in love with Eric. The only problem was that Ariel didn’t know if Eric loved her back.

Belle spoke suddenly and I had to fight back a laugh. “What are you doing?” She asked the question in her impression of a boy’s voice but sounded like someone who hadn’t yet hit puberty. She whispers some lines to me, and I recite them back to her.

“I’m just buying some things for my mommy. Why are you here?” I spoke the words in a little girl’s voice and Belle gave me a look that meant I was doing something wrong.

“Don’t sound like a baby,” she whined, “She’s your age!” I looked over at my sister wondering what she had planned for this little skit, and why it seemed so similar to what was going to happen at the drug store today.

I said the lines in my own voice, and a large smile lit up her cherubic face. “I’m buying candy. I have to eat some every week.” She tells me to ask Eric what his favorite kind of candy is and I follow her directions. “I like the white sticks. I can stick them in my mouth and pretend to smoke.” She let out a giggle that sounded nothing like a boy and I wondered if it was her or Eric.

Suddenly Belle reached behind her and picked up a blonde Barbie dressed in a floral dress. She had sunglasses on her head, and red high heels on her feet. “What are you doing here?” The Barbie’s voice was high-pitched and annoyed.

“Why do you care?” I recited after Belle.

“I don’t,” the Barbie wrapped her arms around Eric and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I just wanted to make sure that this boy knew who he should talk to.” My cheeks burned as I realized who the Barbie was and once again I wondered how Belle knew so much about my life. Did she listen in to my conversations with Bridget?

“Where are your friends? I didn’t know that you could stand without them.” I watched Belle’s face as she acted out the Barbie’s reaction to my words. Her eyebrows shot to the ceiling and her eyes widened, but she didn’t look up from the dolls in her small hands.

“I can do a lot of things without them. They’re just idiots.” I realized that Belle had set the mean girl up to act stupid without me saying much. She spoke with a deep voice and her eyebrows low over squinted eyes as she shook Eric slightly while he spoke. “That’s not very nice. You shouldn’t talk about your friends like that.”

I realized that Belle wanted me to say something, but hadn’t given me a script. “She is mean,” I felt like ranting about Aurora, but didn’t think that Belle needed to see my anger toward her so I stayed quiet.

“You are a witch.” Her Barbie’s voice raised a octave and I squinted as the squeak reached my ears. “Not as big as you are,” her voice gruff once again, Belle detangled Eric from the Barbie’s arms and hopped him over to me. “I like her better,” Eric then said to Ariel, “Let’s go get some tacos.”

I smiled and nodded my head, “Sure Eric. I would like that a lot.” Belle handed me Eric and I walked them behind me for their ‘date’.

“The end,” Belle threw the Barbie up in the air and she landed with a quiet thud a few feet away from us. “Will you play with me when you get home Lucy?”

I smiled at my sister. She was the most adorable little girl I had ever seen, and even when she was in a bad mood I usually did what she wanted. “Sure,” another smile lit up my face and I fought the urge to giggle along with her.